


The Flowers Shop Worker And The Businessman

by Amylissa



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, girl!tao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 07:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9809744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amylissa/pseuds/Amylissa
Summary: Wu Yifan is a drop-out college student who work at flowers shop for his little sister's sake.Kim Joonmyun is a businessman who have everything in his life except love.One day, they cross path with each other which will change their lives forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted from my aff

The Wu household was always so quiet.

A black sofa was being placed in the centre of the living room, facing the small television where Chuntao would watch her favourite cartoons and Yifan would often accompany her until her bedtime.

Yifan worked hard for their apartment they had that is located in one of the modern cities in Seoul with humble and considerate neighbours who were willing to help him take care of his five year old sister. He took pride in his job at one of the flower shops downtown with a salary just big enough to cover him and his sister’s living expenses.

Yes, there were times when things weren’t all that easy, but they were good. Yifan believed that it would stay this way as long as they stuck together. His sister meant everything to him, and he’ll be damned if they had to go through anything like they did five years ago again.

His father died because of an accident on site where he worked when he was just barely 3 years old. His mother then left him in the care of his grandmother while she emigrated to Korea, following her Korean boyfriend who didn’t want kids at that time. His grandmother tried her best to raise him well and she even sent him to one of the prestigious schools in Guangzhou, even though the school fee was very expensive. However, when he was nineteen years old, his grandmother suddenly had a heart attack while she was on the way to the market and died the next day. Since he didn’t have any living relatives left in this world, he didn’t have a choice but to move to Korea to live with his mother.

At that time, his mother was pregnant with Chuntao and there was no sign of her husband or boyfriend. He did ask who Chuntao’s father was, but his mother yelled at him for that question and told him to stop being nosy. He never asked again after that. He thought that maybe, just maybe, his life would finally take a better turn, but he was wrong.

A month later, after his mother had given birth to an adorable baby girl, she decided to leave them with no letter or note explaining herself, and Yifan was abandoned with the responsibility to raise his sister by himself.

At the age of twenty he was forced to drop out of college to raise his baby sister. To make things worse, he and his sister were kicked out of their apartment for not being able to pay the rent that was long overdue. He tried pleading with the landlord to give him more time to pay the rent, but the landlord was a cold hearted person. He didn’t even bother to hear his explanation and ordered him to leave or he would call the police.

Those times were the hardest, he can still remember how he walked home to home asking for shelter for the night while carrying his baby sister, but no one wanted to let them stay. That’s until he met a middle aged couple who took pity on them and let them stay in their house. Not only that, they were also the ones who recommended his current job to him since his boss is one of their friends and he was very grateful to them. If it weren’t for them, he and his little sister may have ended up living on the street.

Yifan decided to stop reminiscing about the past and realised he should start preparing the breakfast. Any minute now Chuntao will wake up and start whining if Yifan hasn’t prepared the breakfast on time.

Just at that moment, a small figure with long raven hair stepped inside the kitchen, dragging a panda doll behind them.

“Gege…”

Yifan stopped cracking the eggs. He wiped his hand on the apron before he knelt down in front his sister with a smile decorating his lips.

“Good morning, princess.” Yifan said in tender voice.

“Morning, gege.” Chuntao replied, pressing her panda doll into her chest.

Yifan was having to hold himself back from tackling her to the ground. His sister was too adorable!

“Have you brushed your teeth?”

Chuntao shook her head.

“Go brush your teeth now. The breakfast will be ready once you come out.”

“Mhmm…”

Chuntao then walk towards the bathroom. Yifan smiled before he continued preparing breakfast.

“Ahh!!!”

Yifan dropped the spatula when he heard a scream. He quickly ran towards the bathroom, praying that his sister hadn’t slipped on the floor and hit her head again. Chuntao was a very clumsy girl. Thank god, Chuntao only got a bruise last time. He pushed the door open. Chuntao quickly run towards him and hugged his leg.

“What’s wrong, Taozi?”

“There’s a cockroach…Taotao scared….”

Yifan let out sigh of relief. He almost had a heart attack.

“Don’t be scared. Gege is here. Wait outside while gege kills the cockroach, okay?” Yifan said as he caressed Chuntao’s long hair.

Chuntao nodded her head and quickly ran out of the bathroom. Minutes later, Yifan managed to kill the cockroach and flushed it down the toilet before washing his hands. He couldn’t help smiling when Chuntao called him her hero after he told her that he managed to kill the cockroach.

After he had finished helping his sister brushing her teeth they headed to the dining room to start their breakfast. Chuntao wouldn’t stop asking questions and Yifan would patiently answer every one of them. Once they’d finished eating he helped Chuntao change out of her pyjamas and they left their apartment and headed towards the lift. Chuntao demanded he carry her and Yifan just couldn’t say no to his sister.

Upon reaching the bus stop, people couldn’t stop staring at the brother and sister. It was a sight to see since Yifan is a tall, handsome blonde haired man carrying his little sister in his arms. Chuntao whimpered as she buried her head in Yifan’s neck. She felt uncomfortable with all the staring. Yifan realized his sister’s discomfort and glared at everyone. They gulped when they saw Yifan’s bitch face and quickly turned their heads away. He let out sigh of relief when the bus finally arrived.

It only took twenty minutes before they reached Chuntao’s kindergarten. As usual the guard greeted them “Good morning” with a smile on his lips and Yifan would greet him back. Yifan then waited until his sister had safely entered the building before going to the flower shop to start work.

 

* * *

 

 

All the staff members quickly stood up and bowed when their CEO finally arrived. The staffs would always greet him and he would greet them back as he walked toward his office. Their CEO is a twenty six year old young man named Kim Joonmyun, also known as Suho. He had taken over his father’s position after he graduated from Harvard University and within a year he had successfully made Kim Corp.one of the biggest firms in Korea and closed the mouths of the shareholders who once doubted his ability to lead the company at such a young age.

Joonmyun leaned against his leather chair as he listened to his secretary brief him about today’s schedule and, as usual, today was full of meetings with clients. Fortunately today he’ll be having lunch with his two best friends, Luhan and Park Chanyeol, whom he befriended while still studying at Harvard University.

Luhan is a young Chinese man who is one year older than him and, working as lawyer. He immigrated here for his husband, Zhang Yixing’s sake after he was offered to teach dancing in a prestigious dance school in the area.

Chanyeol is the youngest among the three of them and works as an engineer. He recently got engaged to Kim Jongin (who also happens to be one of Yixing’s students) two months ago.

It had been so long since they saw each other since they were all busy with their workloads and it was time for them to catch up. Part of him missed the old times where they would occasionally hang out with each other after class.

“That’ll be all, Mr. Kim. Do you have any questions?” His secretary asked.

Joonmyun dismissed his secretary with his hand.

“Ah… I forgot to give this invitation to you,” His secretary then gave him a white envelope, “I didn’t dare to open it without your permission so I don’t know who it’s from.”

“Thank you, Ms. Kwon.”

“You’re welcome, sir. Then, I’ll go continue my work.”

Ms. Kwon bowed her head before she walked out of his office. Joonmyun stared at the card, wondering who it could be from. Judging by the envelope, it’s a wedding invitation but he can’t recall which of his friends or clients are getting married this month.

He took out the card from its white envelope and opened it. His expression changed after he finished scanning through the card.

**_We are honoured to invite Mr. Kim Joonmyun to attend the wedding of Byun Baekhyun and Do Kyungsoo at XXX Hotel on Saturday, 29th November 2015 at 10.00 a.m._ **

Joonmyun sighed sadly. It had been, what, three years? Yet the memories of their breakup was still fresh in his mind. Do Kyungsoo was his first boyfriend. They met through close friends and instantly clicked since both of them had the same interests and eventually they decided to try dating.

After two dates, Joonmyun finally gathered his courage and asked Kyungsoo to become his boyfriend. Six months after that, Kyungsoo moved into his apartment. During the first year of their relationship everything was perfect and they were so in love with each other. However, their perfect relationship took a dramatic turn after their second anniversary.

Both of them were so busy with their work; at that time, Joonmyun had just taken over his father’s position while Kyungsoo was busy with the new opening of his restaurant and they would always fall into heated arguments about not spending enough time together. Finally, Kyungsoo couldn’t take it anymore and he decided to end their two year relationship.

One year later, Joonmyun heard from Luhan that Kyungsoo had a new boyfriend named Byun Baekhyun who was a club singer. He couldn’t deny that he was heartbroken when he heard the news, but he still wished the best for Kyungsoo and he decided to bury himself in his work to forget his pain.

Another sigh escaped from Joonmyun’s lips as he lay his head down on the chair. He may have everything; a big house, car and a job as the CEO for one of the best known companies in Korea, yet he longed for someone who he can spend eternity with.

He envied his friends who had already found their respective partners. Heck, even his ex is getting marry soon. When was it going to be his turn?

 

* * *

 

Joonmyun tapped his finger on the steering wheel as he sang his favourite song on the radio. He lowered the volume when his cell phone started vibrating inside his pocket. He tried to take out his phone and cursed when he accidentally made it fall under his seat. He tried to grab it but it was out of his reach. He sighed before bending down to try grab it again. What he didn’t realize was a tall, blonde haired man holding a medium-sized panda doll was crossing the road ahead of him. By the time he looked up it was already too late.

*Bump*

“Shit!” Joonmyun cursed after his car hit the tall man, causing him to topple onto the floor.

He stopped the engine and hurriedly got out of his car. He quickly ran towards the man, knelt down and put the man’s head on his lap. His heart almost stopped beating for a second when he finally saw his face. There, in front of his eyes, was the most handsome man that he had ever seen. He quickly scolded himself. This wasn’t the time to admire this man’s good looks after he’d just hit him with his car. He tried to wake the man up but got no response. He cursed again, scared for the worst. He decided to carry the man - with a bit of difficulty since the man was taller than him - to his car before he drove to the hospital. No words could describe how guilty he was feeling at that moment. He prayed that this tall man will be okay.

 

* * *

 

Yifan woke up to blinding light hitting his face. He blinked his eyes as he tried to make the sleepiness and dizziness to go away. He couldn’t stop groaning when he felt the throbbing pain in his head.

“Are you okay, sir? Do you want me to call the doctor?” A soft voice asked with a worried tone.

Yifan turned toward the voice and his heart suddenly started to beating wildly inside his chest. ‘Handsome.’ That was the thing he thought when his eyes met with Joonmyun’s.

“Sir? Do you want me to call the doctor?” Joonmyun repeated his question when he got no reply from Yifan.

A blush appeared on Yifan’s cheek when he realized that he kept staring at Joonmyun without offering a response. He hoped that Joonmyun wouldn’t say anything about it.

“I’m fine. You don’t have to call the doctor.” Yifan answered while he fidgeted with his fingers nervously. Contrary to his tall figure, accompanied with his resting bitch face, he was actually quite a shy person. He was just never good at dealing with strangers, especially if said stranger was a handsome young man.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off the road. You don’t have to worry about the hospital bill, I’ll pay it since it was my fault you ended up here.”

“Sir, you don’t have to do that. It wasn’t your fault alone. I should have watched where I was going.”

“But…”

Joonmyun’s protest was cut off when his cell phone suddenly started ringing. He sighed as he took it out of his coat pocket. His expression turned serious as he listened to the words coming from other line. He then ended the call and put his cell phone back inside his coat pocket before he got up from the chair.

“I need to take my leave now. I’ve an important matter to attend. And just like I said before, you don’t have to worry about the medical bill. It’s all on me. Just get well soon.”

Joonmyun bowed before he was heading towards the door. Yifan tried to stop him, but he was too late since Joonmyun already left the room. A small sigh escaped from his lips. He does understand Joonmyun’s reason for paying his hospital bill, but he is still unable to accept it. This isn’t part of his character after all.

He then looked up at the clock hanging on the wall and a small gasp escaped from his lips when he saw the time. Only then he remembered that he was supposed to pick up his little sister from the kindergarten before this accident happened. He started searching for his cell phone. He didn’t have to search for long since his phone was placed on the bed side table.

He quickly grabbed it. There was 5 missed calls, three of them from Jongdae, his co-worker and best friend, while the remaining two were from Chuntao’s teacher. He dialled his best friend’s number. He tapped his fingers on his lap as he waited for Jongdae to answer the call. A few seconds later, a worried voice greeted him.

“Hyung! Where have you been? You never came back after you went out to deliver the flowers and you didn’t even answer my calls! Do you know how worried I was?”

“Jongdae-yah, I’m in the hospital right now.”

“What!? Why?”

“I’ll explain later. Right now I need a favour from you. Can you pick Chuntao up from her kindergarten and bring her here?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, Jongdae.”

“You’re welcome, hyung.”

A small sigh escaped from Yifan’s lips after he ended the call. He was worried about his sister as he imagined her crying uncontrollably when she saw that Yifan hadn’t come to pick her. It had happened before. That time, Jongdae was sick and Yifan wasn’t able to pick her up since no one was there to take care the shop. He had asked his neighbour to help him and an hour later he received a call from his neighbour informing him that Chuntao had cried non-stop thinking he had abandoned her. Ever since that day, Yifan made sure that he would always be the one who would pick Chuntao up.

 

* * *

 

 

“Gege!”

Yifan woke up from his sleep when he heard the familiar voice calling for him. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for Jongdae to bring Chuntao to the hospital. He looked down and his heart ached when he saw the tears coming from Chuntao’s eyes with Jongdae standing behind her.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I tried to stop her from crying, but to no avail.” Jongdae explained.

“Gege, you make Taotao worry!” Chuntao cried while she tried to climb the bed, but failed. Jongdae, who saw that, decided to help her.

“Gege, are you alright? You wouldn’t die and leave Taotao alone, right?” Chuntao asked again. Yifan couldn’t stop smiling when he heard that question. He pulled his sister to sit on his lap.

“Gege only had a small injury. Gege won’t die because of it.” 

Chuntao then tilted her head a little, “Why gege had to stay in the hospital if gege only had small injury?”

“Because the doctor wanted to check up on gege and make sure that gege is healthy.” Yifan pinched his sister’s nose, and Chuntao giggled.

“Hyung, how did you get in an accident in the first place? Weren’t you delivering flowers to a client?” Jongdae asked after he sat down on the chair besides the bed.

“I was crossing the road after coming out from the toy shop when a car hit me. The impact made me topple onto the road and hit my head. I blacked out after that. When I woke up, I was already at the hospital. The driver must have been the one who brought me here and he even insisted on paying the hospital bill.”

“It is his responsibility since it was his fault for making you end up in the hospital. Was he blind or what?”

“It wasn’t his fault alone. I should have watched where I was going too.”

“Hyung, stop being so kind. This is part of the reason why people like to take advantage of you. So what does the doctor say?”

“Only small scratches, but since I hit my head the doctor wants me to stay here for a day or two just in case.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. You don’t have to worry about the shop. I already informed our boss. As for Chuntao, Minseok and I are willing to take care of her until you’re released from the hospital.”

“Thank you.” Yifan was glad that he had Jongdae as friend who was willing to lend a hand whenever he needed one.

Smiling, Jongdae replied, “That’s what friends are for.”


	2. Chapter 2

One week had passed since that incident and Joonmyun couldn’t stop thinking about Yifan. He cursed himself for forgetting to ask Yifan’s name and number but before he could he had received an important call from his subordinate regarding a problem that arose in one of his factories that he was required to settle.

He did go to visit Yifan two days later, but much to his disappointment Yifan had already been released from the hospital. Thus, aside from his handsome face, Joonmyun didn’t have any information regarding Yifan.

“Thank you for coming, Suho-hyung. I was scared you wouldn’t attend my wedding.”

Joonmyun snapped out of his thoughts and gave a tight smile to Kyungsoo. The pain was still there, especially present while Kyungsoo and his husband were exchanging vows, but he tried to forget about their past and move on. There was no use in pining for Kyungsoo’s love anymore now that he is married to someone else.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re still my friend.”

Kyungsoo was about to say something when his husband approached them.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation, but I wanted to introduce him to one of my relatives.”

Joonmyun just shrugged, “I understand. See you soon, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo nodded before following his husband. Joonmyun sighed as he watched them leaving. A hand patted his shoulder and he turned his head. Luhan was staring at him with concerned eyes.

“Are you okay, Suho?”

“Why is everyone asking me that? First it was Chanyeol, now you too.”

“We’re only worried about you. It is your ex’s wedding after all.”

Sighing, he replied, “Hyung, it’s been three years since we broke up. Both of us had move on eventually.”

Not only was he lying to himself but he was lying to his best friends. The only one who moved on was Kyungsoo. But he didn’t want to make his friends worry about him.

“I know you very well, Suho-ah. No need to lie to me. Just know that we’re here if you need us.”

“I suddenly feel thirsty. I’m going to grab something to drink. Do you want me to bring you something?” Joonmyun quickly made an excuse to change the subject and stop his friends from reopening his healing wound.

Luhan shook his head and Joonmyun then headed towards the table. He already predicted that this would happen; that his friends would worry about him which is why he was hesitant to attend the wedding in the first place. However, he also knew that it would make them worry even more if he didn’t go so he decided to suck it up and attend his ex’s wedding.

He was too engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice someone walking towards him. As result, they bumped into each other and the juice the other person was holding spilled on his white dress shirt before the glass slipped from their hands and smashing on the ground.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!”

‘That voice seems familiar. Like I’ve had heard it before.’ Joonmyun thought before he looked up. His eyes widened in realisation when he met the man’s eyes. It was the very same person that’s been occupying his mind the whole week.

“Ahh…you again…” Yifan rubbed his neck awkwardly. He was still a bit uncomfortable talking to this man, as he was the very same man who had been running through his mind for the past week, making him unable to focus on his work up till the point where Jongdae was worried about him.

“Yes, me again. Is this some kind of payback?” Joonmyun joked, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

“No! I definitely didn’t do it on purpose!” Yifan quickly defended himself. He didn’t want to give off a bad impression to Joonmyun.

Joonmyun let out a small laugh, “Hey, take it easy. I was only joking.”

A blush slowly rose up onto Yifan’s cheeks and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that Joonmyun actually has a beautiful laugh.

“Are you friends with one of the grooms?” Joonmyun asked, wondering if Yifan was one of Baekhyun’s friends since he knew almost all of Kyungsoo’s friends and he’d never seen Yifan until that accident happen one week ago.

“Actually, I’m not. I’m just here to deliver the flowers, and one of the groom’s mother invited me to eat something before leaving.”

“So you’re a florist?”

“I am. The shop where I work  is downtown, near that *** cafe. You should stop by sometime. We sell lots of flowers!” Yifan said full of enthusiasm. He loved talking about his job!

Chuckling, Joonmyun said, “Are you taking this chance to promote your shop?”

“Well, I don’t see any harm in it.” Yifan replied with a small pout on his lips.

_God! Why does he have to be so adorable?_ Joonmyun yells internally. Doesn’t Yifan know what he does to him by pouting like that? He was this close to losing control but he can’t let that happen when he still doesn’t actually know Yifan’s name. Speaking of which, this is his chance!

“What is your name?” Joonmyun finally blurted out the question.

“Huh?” Yifan asked in slight disbelief.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. It wasn’t that important.”  Joonmyun said, a bit disappointed that he may not able to find out Yifan’s name but he didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.

“Wu Yifan.”

“Eh?”

“My name is Wu Yifan. Nice to meet you, Mr...?”

“I’m Kim Joonmyun. Nice to meet you too.”

Joonmyun held out his hand and Yifan quickly took it. Both of them felt an electric shock when they touched and quickly dropped their hands.

“Mhmm...I should head back to my shop.”

Yifan turned around and was about to walk away when Joonmyun suddenly grabbed his arm. Yifan stared down at Joonmyun’s hand in disbelief. Joonmyun blushed when he realized his mistake and quickly released Yifan’s arm.

_‘Very smooth, Kim Joonmyun. Good job scaring him.’_

“I’m sorry. I know this may sound weird to you, but I need some company at this…. boring party and my friends are…. kinda preoccupied. Do you mind accompanying me for a while?” Joonmyun asked while fidgeting with his finger. _Oh god, what is wrong with me?_ He’s always so confident when talking with the board of shareholders or his clients, but why is he so nervous when talking to Yifan?

“Okay, but only for an hour. I can’t leave my friend to take care of the shop alone for too long.”

Joonmyun looked up, and his lips finally curled into smile, “Thank you.”

Yifan didn’t care that he was going to get an earful from Jongdae when he got back. As long as he got to see more of that beautiful smile.

 

* * *

 

 

After the wedding party, Joonmyun and Yifan somehow got closer. Joonmyun gathered his courage that day and asked Yifan for his number. (And this time he wasn’t a stuttering mess and managed to save himself from further embarrassment.)

They would call each other almost every night. Joonmyun would tell Yifan about everything in his life; his work, his best friends and even his ex. He didn’t know why, but talking with Yifan was very comforting. Maybe because Yifan was a great listener.

“You know today, I was having lunch with my client and guess who I bumped into?”

“Who?”

“My ex and his husband. They looked so happy. I know I should be happy for them and I kept telling myself that I should move on too, but I couldn’t stop thinking ’When it is going to be my turn?’ To find someone to spend eternity with? And, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that maybe I’m going to end up alone for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t lose hope, Joonmyun-ah. One day you’ll find someone too.”

A loud thud suddenly came from the other line followed by the sound of small steps approaching. He wondered who that could be since Yifan never mentioned having a roommate. Before he could ask, loud crying from what sounded like a little girl can be heard. He can hear Yifan trying to stop the little girl from crying while speaking in Mandarin. He suddenly regretted not taking Mandarin classes when he had the chance to do so. If he had, he surely would understand what Yifan was saying right now.

It seemed Yifan’s effort to calm down the little girl didn’t work because she cried even louder until Joonmyun had to pull his phone away from his ear.

“I’m sorry. Let’s continue this talk tomorrow. Goodnight.”

A small sigh escaped from Joonmyun’s lips after Yifan ended the call. He couldn’t stop himself from being curious about that little girl since Yifan never mentioned being married or a single parent. Can he ask Yifan about this? They aren’t that close yet and he didn’t want Yifan to get mad at him for being nosy about his personal life. However, there was still a chance that Yifan might answer his question.

He ran his hand through his brown locks with his head against the headboard.

_What should I do now? Forget that this ever happened and move on or ask about it and satisfy my curiosity?_

 

* * *

 

 

Yifan hummed the nursery song that his grandmother used to sing to him when he was still small while gently patting Chuntao’s thigh. He only stopped when Chuntao finally fell into a deep slumber.

A small sigh escaped from his lips as he wiped the remaining tears from Chuntao’s cheek. As usual Chuntao had a nightmare; it was the same nightmare she’d had countless times before about their mother. Part of him wanted to hate his mother since she was the sole reason why they were in such a state. But he couldn’t. No matter what, she was still the woman who gave birth to him and the most precious person in his life.

He sighed again when he finally remembered that he was on the phone with Joonmyun just now. Joonmyun must have heard Chuntao’s cries and he didn’t know how to tell Joonmyun about her. It wasn’t because he was embarrassed about Chuntao, the problem was that he didn’t know whether he should trust Joonmyun. Most of his friends had ignored him or left the moment they found out about Chuntao and the only people who never left and continue to support them were Jongdae and his husband, Minseok.

He was scared that Joonmyun was going to leave him too and he didn’t want that to happen. He cherished this precious new friend of his and he sincerely hoped that their friendship would last forever.

 

* * *

 

 

Lots of customers were coming to the flower shop today to buy flowers for their loved ones. Jongdae and Yifan didn’t have enough hands to serve all the customers since one of their colleagues suddenly took emergency leave today which lead the shop into chaos. Somehow though, they finally managed to get through the day and fill all the customers’ orders in time.

Yifan huffed as he sat down on the stool beside the counter. He glanced at the clock on the wall. There’s still an hour left before he goes to pick Chuntao up and the shop was currently empty. He should take this chance to regain his energy.

“Tired?”

“Yes, I’m tired.” Yifan replied while rubbing his sore neck, “Why were there so many customers today?” he complained.

“Stop whining, hyung. You should be happy because that means our business is good. And, who knows, maybe we’ll get a raise?”

“I hope so. I want to buy a new bed for Chuntao since her old bed is getting rusty and her body is growing.”

“If you want, I can ask my friend who works at a furniture shop whether he can get a special discount for you?”

“Thank you, Jongdae. I just can’t stop giving trouble to you.”

“What are you talking about, hyung? We’re friends, aren’t we? We should have each others backs. That’s the right thing to do, right?”

Yifan gave a small smile to his best friend, “You’re right.”

The sound of a chiming bell caused them to turn around and be met with a handsome young man with porcelain skin and hair styled in a fashionable manner. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath it. Jongdae couldn’t stop staring at him. If he wasn’t married, he surely wouldn’t have wasted any time and asked for this handsome man’s number straight away.

“Hi, Yifan.” Joonmyun greeted while waving his hand.

Jongdae turned to stare at Yifan with an expression of disbelief, “Hyung, you know this man?”

A small blush appeared on Yifan’s cheek, “Yes, I know him. He is the one who hit me with his car two weeks ago.”

Jongdae pointed his finger toward Joonmyun, “What? This handsome man was the one!?” He yelled. The idea of  Joonmyun being a kind, handsome man was crushed into pieces once he realised he is the one who put Yifan in the hospital.

“Yes.”

“I’ll never forgive him! I’m going to teach him a lesson.”

Yifan quickly pulled Jongdae back before he could attack Joonmyun. He then dragged Jongdae towards the entrance before pushing him out of the shop.

“Minseok-hyung is waiting for you to have lunch with him. Goodbye.” He said before he closed the door. He flashed an awkward smile to Joonmyun, “Sorry about that. My best friend has always been protective of me.”

“It’s okay, I understand. I would have reacted the same way.” Joonmyun said, walking towards Yifan, “Your shop is a bit small, but it’s really nice.” Joonmyun complimented.

“Ahh...thank you. What are you doing here? Are you buying flowers for your loved ones?” Yifan didn’t know why but he suddenly felt angry and jealous at the thought of Joonmyun buying flowers for his lover.

Chuckling, Joonmyun answered, “I just finished meeting a client nearby so I decided to pay you a visit.”

“Is that so?” Yifan couldn’t stop himself from smiling knowing he was the reason Joonmyun came to the shop.

“Yifan-ah, do you mind if I ask who that girl I heard crying last night was?”

Yifan sighed sadly. He somehow knew that it would come to this.“I’m sorry, Joonmyun. I’m not ready to share my past with you yet. I know that I’m being unfair to you since you share everything with me while I-”

Joonmyun suddenly put his hand on Yifan’s (Yes, he had to tiptoe in order to do that).

“I understand, and I won’t force you. I’ll wait patiently until you’re ready to tell me.”

“Thank you for understanding. I promise that when I’m ready, I will tell you everything.” _And I hope that you won’t turn out like the others once you find out about my past._


	3. Chapter 3

Time flew by fast. A month had passed since Joonmyun had befriended Yifan and their relationship had progressed to the point where Joonmyun would even drop by the flower shop almost everyday just to see Yifan. He would feel lost or empty if he went even one day without seeing Yifan or hearing his deep voice. That’s why no matter how busy or how tired he was, he would still drop by the flower shop or call Yifan before they both went to sleep.

Joonmyun is a fully grown man. Thus, he couldn’t deny the fact that he did feel slightly attracted to Yifan. Who wouldn’t be? Yifan isn’t _just_ a tall, handsome man; he’s also a very kind and caring person. Not only that, he’s also a bit dorky which made Joonmyun enjoy being around him even more.

This is the reason why he wanted to take Yifan out on a date before he would take the next step. However, much to his chagrin, Yifan would keep rejecting him whenever he asked him out for lunch or dinner by giving excuses like he was busy or he already had an appointment with someone. He knew that Yifan was purposely giving those excuses to avoid going out with him but he couldn’t understand why Yifan was doing it.

Still, he wasn’t going to give up. He would keep asking Yifan because he believed that one day Yifan will finally say ‘yes’.

“Please, Yifan? I purposely postponed my appointment so that we can have lunch together.”

Yifan gulped. He didn’t think he’d be able to reject Joonmyun again, especially with Joonmyun using his puppy eyes. Still, if he said yes, who would pick Chuntao up from kindergarten? He couldn’t rely on Jongdae since he needed to take care of the shop, nor his neighbours because of the incident that happened last time.

“I… Uh.. Well you see…”

“I’m sorry, Joonmyun-ssi. Yifan-hyung is unable to join you for lunch today.  One of our co-workers is sick again and I have lunch date with my husband. Yifan-hyung is the only one left. Sorry, but he has to take care the shop.” Jongdae decided to cut into their conversation after he saw that Yifan was having trouble rejecting Joonmyun.

The smile on Joonmyun’s face faded after he heard that and Yifan immediately felt bad for rejecting him again, but what choice did he have? Chuntao is his top priority.

“Joonmyun-ah, I-” Yifan tried to apologize when Jongdae suddenly cut his words off for the second time.

“You don’t have to look so disappointed. You can still ask him out for dinner. After all, he didn’t have anything planned for tonight.”

Joonmyun quickly raised his head up.

“What do you say, Yifan? Please say yes.” He pleaded while using his puppy eyes again and hoped desperately that Yifan would finally go out with him.

Yifan let out a small sigh before he nodded. He knew that he shouldn’t say yes, but he didn’t want to see Joonmyun’s sad face again. He couldn’t understand why just seeing him look so disappointed made his heart ache so painfully.

Joonmyun’s eyes immediately brightened. His hard work had finally paid off, Yifan agreed to go out with him.

“I’ll pick you up at your apartment, send me the address later. I need to head back to office now. See you tonight.”

The tall man waved as he watched Joonmyun heading towards the door. He turned to face his best friend after he made sure that Joonmyun had left the shop.

“Why did you do that? You know full well why I kept rejecting him.”

“Hyung, you should have fun once in awhile. If this is about Chuntao, you don’t have to worry about it. Minseok and I can babysit her tonight.”

Yifan scoffed, “What’s with this sudden change of behavior? You never used to like Joonmyun. Now you suddenly want me to go have dinner with him?”

“Yes, I admit that I disliked him in the beginning, however, that stopped once I realized that he is actually a really nice and patient guy. Not only that, I can tell that he likes you.”

A blush slowly crept its way onto Yifan’s cheeks.

“W-what are you talking about? There’s no way that Joonmyun... likes me.” He replied while playing with the hem of his shirt.

Jongdae rolled his eyes. “Gosh, hyung, are you really that dense? Even blind people can see that he has feelings towards you.”

“But why would he like me? I’m just an ordinary person.”

“Hyung, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You’re a very handsome young man. Most of our customers just can’t take their eyes off you once they step foot inside the shop.”

“Still…” Yifan bit his lip.

Jongdae let out a small sigh. He knew that Yifan was having a hard time believing that someone could like him. Well, he couldn’t really blame Yifan. He had been friends with him since high school, and he knew how hard Yifan’s life has been throughout the years, especially when most of his friends left him after they found out about Chuntao, making Yifan constantly scared of being left again.

But, Yifan is a very nice man and he wants to see his best friend find his own happiness too. Although he may not know Joonmyun that well, he can already see that Joonmyun is a very kind-hearted man. Not only that, Joonmyun doesn’t show off his wealth even though he comes from rich family. That’s why he thinks that Joonmyun is the most suitable guy for Yifan and he believes Joonmyun would be able to provide all the care Yifan and Chuntao both need.

“Hyung, don’t you think it’s about time you to find someone? And I think Joonmyun-ssi would be perfect for you. What do you say?”

Yifan ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to say. I haven’t even told him about Chuntao yet.”

“Tell him tonight!”

“What if he doesn’t like Chuntao?”

“Only idiots wouldn’t like your adorable sister. I would have kidnapped her a long time ago if it wasn’t for our friendship.”

Yifan let out small chuckle, “Thank you, Jongdae-yah.”

“Tsk… How many times do I need to tell you that you don’t have to thank me?”

Smiling, Yifan replied. “I know you don’t like me thanking you, but I still want to say it. I don’t know what I would do without your support.”

“Save your sweet words for Joonmyun-ssi. I’m sure he’ll love hearing them.” Jongdae teased and grinned when he saw Yifan start blushing.

“Yah! Kim Jongdae!”

“Aww… look at the time. It’s time for you to go pick Chuntao up from kindergarten.”

Yifan glared at Jongdae.

“I’ll deal with you later.” He said before he went into the back room to grab his bag. He couldn’t be late since he made a promise to his princess that he would treat her to ice cream, which is another reason why he couldn’t have lunch with Joonmyun.

 

* * *

 

 

There was definitely something wrong with Chuntao. Usually she wouldn’t stop chattering nonstop about her day, or she’d keep asking questions that Yifan had a hard time answering like “Gege, why we can’t have a panda as pet?”. But Chuntao hadn’t uttered a single word to him since they’d left the kindergarten. Had something happened to his baby sister? If that was the case, why wouldn’t Chuntao tell him? She would always share everything with him.

Yifan knelt down, “Baobei, why are you so quiet? This isn’t like you. You can tell gege everything.” Yifan decided to ask his sister directly so he could figure out what had been bothering Chuntao.

“Gege, is Taotao not cute?” Chuntao asked with a small pout on her lips.

_‘Oh my god! Why would my princess ask such question? Don’t tell me that my princess is being bullied!’_

“Gege, why you didn’t answer Taotao’s question? You also think Taotao isn’t cute…?” Chuntao said as the tears started gathering in the corner of her eyes.

Yifan started panicking, he needed to do something before Chuntao started crying.

“Of course not! You’re the most adorable girl in the world, no one can compete with you.”

“Really?”

Smiling, Yifan answered, “Has gege ever lied to you?”

“No…”

“Now, can you tell gege why you asked that question?”

“Well, there is this boy. His name is Thehun and he is very bad. He likes to pull Taotao’s hair! Why does he do that?”

_‘Wha….There is a boy pulling my princess’s hair!? No, this can’t be happening! I know that my princess is a very cute girl, but still, she’s five years old! It’s too early for her to have boyfriend!’_

Yes, ladies and gentleman. Wu Yifan actually has sister complex no matter how hard he tries to deny it.

Yifan deadpanned, “Stay away from that boy.”

Chuntao titled her head, “Why?”

“Just listen to gege, okay? Gege knows what’s best for you.”

“Okay…”

 

* * *

 

“Promise gege that you’ll be good and you won’t cause any trouble for Minseok-gege and Jongdae-gege.”

Chuntao jutted out her bottom lip. “Why can’t Taotao come with you?”

Yifan scratched his cheek as he tried to think of an excuse for why he couldn’t bring his sister with him. He couldn’t tell Chuntao straight out that he isn’t ready to introduce her to Joonmyun yet. He turned to stare at his best friend, silently asking him for help.

Jongdae chuckled after he saw Yifan’s pleading look. He knew that his best friend was having trouble explaining to Chuntao.

“Chuntao-ah, the reason why your gege can’t bring you with him is because he’s going on a date.”

“Kim Jongdae! Why would you say that to her!?” Yifan asked while staring at Jongdae in disbelief.

Chuntao tugged on Yifan’s pants. “Gege, what is a date?”

Yifan glared at Jongdae what really made his blood boil was that Jongdae still had the decency to laugh. He was about to open his mouth to scold Jongdae when he received SMS from Joonmyun saying that he’d arrived. Jongdae should really thank Joonmyun for saving his ass. If not, Yifan surely would have strangled him.

Yifan then bid goodbye to his sister. He felt a bit relieved that Chuntao didn’t say anything more, just waved her hand excitedly.. He just hoped that Jongdae wouldn’t corrupt his sister’s mind while he was gone.

 

* * *

 

Yifan swore that his heart stopped beating for a second when he caught sight of Joonmyun leaning against his car waiting for him. Somehow, Joonmyun looked more handsome than usual tonight. He was wearing a blue checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black jeans.

A small sigh escaped Yifan’s lips as he stared down at his own clothing. He should have listened to Jongdae and worn something nicer. He was only wearing a black polo t-shirt (which was still new) and a pair of washed-out jeans. He suddenly felt self-conscious and didn’t think he would be able to go on this date. Maybe he should escape before Joonmyun sees him and just tell him he’s feeling unwell.

Unfortunately, he spent too long thinking about an escape that Joonmyun turned his head in his direction and smiled at him. He let out another sigh. It seemed that he was left with no choice but to continue with this date. He then walked toward Joonmyun while nervously tugging on his shirt.

“Hey.” Joonmyun greeted him and the smile on his lips grew wider. Yifan couldn’t stop himself from admiring that smile; it made Joonmyun looked so angelic.

“Are you ready to go?” Joonmyun’s soft voice broke his train of thought.

“S-sure…”

_‘This is so embarrassing! Why do I keep stuttering in front of him?’_

Joonmyun opened the door on the passenger's side of the car and showed his angelic smile to Yifan again.

“Hop in.”

_‘Oh god! Please stop smiling like that! Do you want me to die?!’_

“Th-thank you.” Yifan stuttered for the second time and mentally scolded himself as he entered the car.

“You’re welcome.” Joonmyun replied as he closed the door. He then sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine before driving them out of the apartment building.

 

* * *

 

Yifan thought that Joonmyun was going to bring him to a five star restaurant which made him not want to get out of the car. However, he was wrong when Joonmyun instead brought him to a small diner. Joonmyun told him that the diner was owned by one of his college friends. He then said that he knew Yifan would feel stressed if he brought him to an expensive restaurant, which is why he brought him here instead.

Yifan was glad for that - he didn’t want to embarrass himself again. At the same time, he couldn’t help but admire Joonmyun’s personality. Not only was he not arrogant like the rich men that Yifan had met before, he was also very kind and cared for the people around him.

As they wait for their food, Joonmyun could see that Yifan was a bit nervous. He never stopped tugging on his shirt and he kept looking everywhere but him. Joonmyun decided to speak first to ease the atmosphere.

“How long have you worked at the flower shop?”

“Almost five years.”

“After you finished college?”

His question made Yifan’s body go stiff, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Joonmyun who wondered why that question had such an effect toward Yifan.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to answer that.” Joonmyun quickly said. The last thing he wanted was to make Yifan uncomfortable with him.

“Would you look down on me if I told you that I’m a college dropout?” Yifan then bit his lip as he stared at Joonmyun nervously.

Ahh… Now, he understood why Yifan was acting like that just now. He was scared that Joonmyun is going to walk out of the diner and leave him behind. How wrong Yifan was. He wasn’t that type of person and he believed that there was probably a good reason why Yifan had to drop out of college.

“Have I done something to you to make you think that I’m that kind of person?”

Yifan quickly waved his hand. “No, you didn’t do anything! It’s just that… I’ve been let down so many times by people I cared about. That’s why I reacted like this. I’m sorry if I caused you to misunderstand.”

_‘How dare they!? What had Yifan done to them that he deserved that kind of treatment?’_

Joonmyun then grabbed Yifan’s hand making Yifan’s cheeks turn slightly pink.

“Yifan-ah, you don’t have to apologize. It’s partly my fault too. I shouldn’t have asked that question in the first place.”

“I-it’s okay…” Yifan stuttered a little as he pulled his hand from Joonmyun’s hold. He was so glad when the waiter finally brought their food and saved him from that situation.


End file.
